It was revealed that the Jeju Air plane, which had an accident due to a landing gear misfire while landing at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do at around 9:03 a.m. on the 29th, suffered a bird strike accident two years ago.
The accidental passenger plane, Jeju Air Flight JJA2216 (71C088, HL8088), is an American Boeing B737-800 model that Jeju Air has leased and operated since 2017.
The plane departed from Kansai Airport in Japan on November 20, 2022 and headed to Gimpo Airport, but returned immediately after takeoff due to an engine failure suspected to be a bird strike.
At the time, controversy arose that Jeju Air covered up the engine failure as a bird strike.
Through an online anonymous community, a claim was made that Jeju Air repeatedly repaired the engine to cut costs, resulting in an engine failure, but downplayed the report as a bird collision to avoid transportation rights penalties.
In response to this, Jeju Air explained, “We are investigating the cause of the accident, and there were no instructions to cover it up.” Ultimately, as a result of the investigation by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Jeju Air, it was concluded that the cause of the incident was ‘suspected bird collision’.
The accident plane was also heading from Incheon to Beijing, China, on the 27th, two days before this accident, but returned to Incheon International Airport due to a patient on board.
Meanwhile, Jeju Air currently operates 39 B737-800s, the largest number among domestic airlines. Next, 25 T’way Air, 19 Jin Air, 6 Eastar Jet, and 2 Korean Air are in operation.
The plane that crashed in Muan this time had a 15-year lifespan, and according to fire authorities, it was reported that the landing gear did not operate smoothly after the bird collision.
There were a total of 181 people on board, including 175 passengers and 6 crew members. As of 1 p.m. that day, about 80 people were reported dead and 99 people were missing. Two people were rescued and are receiving treatment.
This accident is the first fatal accident since the establishment of Jeju Air in 2005. Jeju Air has placed all employees involved in this accident on emergency duty and is operating an inquiry center for the passengers’ families.
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